Maria Rebecca Smith, age 73, lifelong resident of Jamaica Plain, died March 21, 2024. Daughter of the late Marie (McDevitt) Smith and the late George Leo Smith. Sister of Donald Smith and his wife Jan of VA., Paula Coffey and her husband Timothy of VA., Marjorie Lukas and her husband Michael of OH., George Smith and his wife Karen of FL., Alice Megna of MA., Nelson Smith and his wife Nancy of HI. Aunt of Therese Camp of VA., Kari Smith of ME., Donna Little of GA., Timothy Coffey of VA., Marie Russell of CA., Jennifer Whitehead of OH., Kristen Lukas of OH., Mary Lukas-DeWinkeleer of NH., Michael Lukas of TX., Christopher Smith of NY., Mary Ellen Rousseau of MA., Lisa Megna of MA., and Nancy Whipple of MA. Also survived by many grandnieces and grandnephews and well as her cousins the DeBassio and Chapman families. She was predeceased by her aunts Marjorie McDevitt, Eleanor DeBassio and Alice Chapman, her brother-in-law Gene Megna and her great nephew Alexander Whipple. Funeral from the Brady & Fallon Funeral Home 10 Tower St. (Opp. Forest Hills MBTA Station) Jamaica Plain on Saturday April 6 at 10:00 am, followed by a Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church 14 Montebello Rd. Jamaica Plain at 11 am. Interment will follow immediately after the Mass at St. Joseph Cemetery. Visiting hours at the funeral home on Friday April 5 from 4-7 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Maria’s memory may be made to Saint Anthony Shrine, 100 Arch Street, Boston or Gary Sinise Foundation, https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/ For guestbook condolences please visit www.bradyfallon.com. Please visit www.harborview.live to view the live stream. In the event the live stream is not available due to insufficient internet availability, the recorded version of the service will be made available at the same link within 24 hours. Graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes School, Mount St. Joseph Academy and Framingham State College. She was a Paralegal at Liberty Mutual Life Insurance Company for many years, ultimately retiring from Resolute Management in 2022.
Maria (Ria to her loved ones) was a loving, devoted daughter, sister, niece, aunt, and godmother. From her oldest brother to her youngest grandniece, Maria had the unique ability to make each person feel special. While she could be a fairly private person, she was also the go-to person in the family, who could always be counted on to show up when it mattered. She seemed to never miss a baptism, First Communion, graduation or wedding, whether it was on the East or West Coast or somewhere in between.
She was someone who usually thought of others before herself. In fact, she insisted on having her funeral services on a Saturday so “no one would have to take a day off work to come.” She was just so humble and unassuming not to realize that those who love her would gladly drop everything for the chance to honor her, no matter what day it was.
Her three brothers and three sisters are especially grateful to her for being their mother’s caregiver for several years before she passed away in 1989. Ria was deeply devoted to her mother and made her final years peaceful. The family knew there wasn’t another person on Earth who could have done a better job. Years later when their beloved aunt also needed care, Maria stepped up to help her as well. That’s just who she was though. She would do almost anything for the people she loved.
It can’t go unmentioned just how much Maria loved Boston. (She loved Tom Selleck and Barry Manilow too, but that’s for another time.) She enjoyed walking everywhere, going to museums, and the Public Garden. She was there for the victory parades celebrating Boston’s teams. As a lifelong resident of Jamaica Plain and a true Bostonian, she had many experiences unique to riding the T and rode it on a regular basis. She could even tell you which bus, trolley or train you should take to get to pretty much anywhere in Boston. In fact, Maria knew the T so well that she could even tell you which car you should get on, so when your stop came, the doors would open right near the exit you needed.
However, Maria’s true superpower was gift-giving. She was always able to find the perfect present for a person’s birthday or at Christmas or just because she saw something she thought they might like. If a loved one was sick or having surgery or just feeling blue, she somehow knew exactly what to send them to feel better. She was not only generous to her loved ones, however; she would also regularly make donations to various charities. Being the humble person she was though, she never bragged about her generosity.
Throughout her life, Maria traveled to many places around the world. She frequently traveled with her sisters and nieces to a variety of places, including Normandy France, The Holy Land, Disney, and multiple European countries and states in the U.S. She was even a passenger on the last ship to enter and exit Cuba prior to the embargo in 2019. During these travels, she always took lots of pictures. She was an excellent photographer, and she captured many beautiful sunsets on her trips to Hawaii, which was one of her favorite places to visit.
Maria was well-read and loved to learn. She was not just intelligent, but clever too and was known for her sense of humor and sharp Irish, New England wit. So many people loved her and will miss her dearly, and they will think of her anytime they hear the Boston accent or see a yellow bird or a purple cow, or walk near the Public Garden, or ride on the Orange Line. In these moments, their hearts will feel sad that she is not with them, but also joyful as they remember what a beautiful person she was and how lucky they were to have known her.